Kimberly Lawler-Sagarin

Ph.D. in Theoretical/Physical Chemistry, Cornell University
Research Areas: Computational chemistry, solid state chemistry, electronic structure theory, symmetry and bonding, dyes

Dr. Sagarin teaches courses in physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, spectroscopy, general chemistry and a variety of courses for non-science majors. These courses are developed around specific themes such as: the chemistry of color, energy, and the environment. She is passionate about communicating the physical science behind environmental issues to nonscientists. Her research interests lie at the interface of computational, physical and inorganic chemistry and she is currently studying the electronic structure of layered chalcogenides. She also works with undergraduate students on mixed synthesis/spectroscopy/computational projects related to dyes, such as Tyrian Purple and related compounds. In 2008-2009, she received the Elmhurst College President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to her work in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, Dr. Sagarin currently serves as the Director of the Center for Scholarship and Teaching. Dr. Sagarin came to Elmhurst College in 2002 after serving as Associate Director of the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University and as a tenured faculty member in Chemistry at California State University, Fresno.

Dr. Sagarin received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Cornell University and her B.S. in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College.